It seems counterintuitive, but the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball championship—also known as March Madness—wraps up in April. The women’s Final Four will take place on Friday, April 5. The men’s Final Four follows the next day, on Saturday, April 6.
Here’s what you need to know to be up to speed on the college basketball tournament going into the semifinals—including how to tune in.
The tournament began with 68 teams who faced off in single-elimination showdowns. On the women’s side, Caitlin Clark led Iowa to victory over LSU to secure her team’s place in the semifinals. She helped the Hawkeyes avenge last year’s defeat in the national championship game by scoring 41 points.
Iowa’s players have their work cut out for them as they face the UConn Huskies. Paige Bueckers helped her team defeat USC 80 to 73 to get to the Final Four. For the past seven games, Bueckers has scored at least 20 points.
How to watch the women’s Final Four
Before Iowa faces UConn, NC State will face South Carolina at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso and NC State’s Aziaha James plan to put on a show.
The Iowa-UConn matchup happens right after, at 9:30 p.m./ET 6:30 p.m. PT in the same location.
Both games can be viewed on ESPN back to back, beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. For those who do not have cable, you can catch the games on live-TV streaming services that carry ESPN:
- DirecTV Stream
- Fubo
- Hulu + Live TV
- Sling
- YouTube TV
DirecTV Stream has a handy free five-day trial for new customers.
How to watch the men’s Final Four
When looking at the men’s side of the tournament, you are going to find some familiar names. UConn and NC State are also present, which marks the first time in NCAA history that two schools have sent both men’s and women’s teams to the Final Four in the same year.
On Saturday, NC State will face off against Purdue at 6:09 p.m. ET/3:09 p.m. PT at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Zach Edey helped secure Purdue’s place in the semifinals by defeating Tennessee 72 to 66. He scored 40 points and made 16 rebounds. This is the first time that the Boilermakers have seen the Final Four since 1980.
Next up, UConn will play against Alabama at 8:49 p.m. ET/5:49 p.m. PT in the same location. This is the first time in its program history that Alabama will make a Final Four appearance. They beat Clemson 89 to 82 to get here.
You can watch the men battle it out starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on both TBS and TNT.
Here’s a hot tip for cord cutters who already have Max. Right now, you can do a B/R Sports add-on for free until the end of the tournament. After the madness ends, it is $9.99 a month.
If Max isn’t in your streaming arsenal, try live-TV streaming services that offer Turner-owned TBS or TNT:
- DirecTV Stream
- Hulu + Live TV
- Sling
- YouTube TV
And remember, that first one is offering a five-day free trial.
